sea level

American  

noun

• sea levels
  plural

1. the horizontal plane or level corresponding to the surface of the sea at mean level between high and low tide.

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sea level British  

noun

1. the level of the surface of the sea with respect to the land, taken to be the mean level between high and low tide, and used as a standard base for measuring heights and depths

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sea level Scientific  

1. The level of the ocean's surface. Sea level at a particular location changes regularly with the tides and irregularly due to conditions such as wind and currents. Other factors that contribute to such fluctuation include water temperature and salinity, air pressure, seasonal changes, the amount of stream runoff, and the amount of water that is stored as ice or snow.

2. ◆ The reference point used as a standard for determining terrestrial and atmospheric elevation or ocean depths is called the mean sea level and is calculated as the average of hourly tide levels measured by mechanical tide gauges over extended periods of time.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sea levels
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sea level

First recorded in 1800–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sea level

Where Michael Stuut lives in the Netherlands is below sea level.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Closer to town, you’ll find Enchanted Rock, a spectacular pink granite dome rising 1,825 feet above sea level.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The updated projections suggest that scientists may have underestimated the contribution Thwaites Glacier will make to future sea level rise.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

That broke the previous record set during another El Niño, on Jan. 10, 2005, when the sea level hit 7.93 feet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Our cottage is on a little hill thirty feet above sea level.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

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Related Words

• water level

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